Upperwood Academy
Dartree Walk, Darfield, Barnsley, S73 9NL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HCAT
- Principal
- Ange Brown
- Sponsor
- HCAT
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 252
- Pupils on roll
- 298
- URN
- 138615
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226754336
About this school
Upperwood Academy is a primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 298 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 June 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 44 | 49 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 73% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 10% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 80% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 78% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 84% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Upperwood Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Barnsley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 306 |
| 2023/24 | 296 |
| 2024/25 | 293 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Upperwood Academy compares
Upperwood Academy ranked 42nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 4.5% | 33.5% | 298 | — |
| Outwood Primary Academy Darfield | 76% | 3.6% | 32.8% | 221 | 0.4 miles |
| St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School | 50% | 4.9% | 31% | 141 | 0.7 miles |
| All Saints Academy Darfield | 57% | 6.9% | 47.1% | 207 | 0.7 miles |
| Wombwell Park Street Primary School | 57% | 4.7% | 25.4% | 346 | 1.3 miles |
| Kings Oak Primary | — | — | — | 433 | 1.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.45%
- English as an additional language
- 2.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.46%
- Persistent absence
- 8.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Outwood Primary Academy Darfield0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
All Saints Academy Darfield0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Wombwell Park Street Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Kings Oak Primary1.3 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Upperwood Academy ranks 33rd of the 59 ranked primary schools in Barnsley.
- All Saints Academy Darfield Primary
- Athersley North Primary School Primary
- Athersley South Primary School Primary
- Bank End Primary Academy Primary
- Barugh Green Primary School Primary
- Birdwell Primary School Primary
- Birkwood Primary School Primary
- Brampton Cortonwood Infant School Primary
- Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Burton Road Primary School Primary
- Carlton Primary Academy Primary
- Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Upperwood Academy teach?
- Upperwood Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the principal of Upperwood Academy?
- The principal of Upperwood Academy is Ange Brown, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Upperwood Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Upperwood Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Upperwood Academy?
- Upperwood Academy has 298 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Upperwood Academy full?
- Upperwood Academy has capacity for 252 pupils and 298 on roll (118%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Upperwood Academy a faith school?
- No. Upperwood Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Upperwood Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Upperwood Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Upperwood Academy?
- Upperwood Academy is part of HCAT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Upperwood Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Upperwood Academy rank locally?
- Upperwood Academy ranked 42nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Upperwood Academy's absence rate?
- Upperwood Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Upperwood Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Upperwood Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 7 July 2026.